Spring cleaning has begun in earnest around here, and what better place to start than my desk? And what better way to start than small? Starting small means you have less to lose if you don’t succeed. There’s less at stake. And it’s far less intimidating to begin a small project. You’re also more likely to complete it.

I recently spent about 30 minutes cleaning out my desk drawer. It had become a jumble of office supplies I use regularly. I didn’t need to discard things as much as I need to group like items together so I could see exactly what I had and find it easily. As you can see, the result is a more efficient, less crowded space that lets me see in a glance what I’m looking for. Now I can easily find the whale-shaped paperclips my son bought for me after I finished reading Moby-Dick.